Fleas are known disease carriers for both the bubonic and pneumonic plagues. The spreading of a plague by fleas transmitting disease from animals such as rodents to human beings has much potential in the United States. It is particularly problematic in third-world countries where the standard of living is extremely low and living conditions are ripe for transmitting such disease from animals to human beings. Therefore, removing fleas from domestic animals is more than just removing an irritation.
A May 1988, National Geographic article "Fleas: The Lethal Leapers" reports that various species of fleas can jump 150 times their own length vertically or horizontally; survive months without feeding; accelerate 50 times faster then the space shuttle; withstand enormous pressure; and remain frozen for a year and then revive. With this understanding, the need for a device such as disclosed here is significantly magnified.
The possibility of these plagues and the U.S. banning of DDT used in the past to kill the bacteria causing these diseases make it significantly important to entrap and/or kill fleas on an animal while protecting the caretaker of the animal.